Direct marketing rules of thumb

Here are some of the rules from the post Dick Benson’s 31 Direct Marketing Rules of Thumb:

3. Sweepstakes will improve results by 50% or more.

4. A credit or bill-me offer will improve results by 50% or more.

5. Tokens or stickers always improve results. (Not useful online)

11. Adding installment payments for items over $15 will increase results by 15%

12. Dollar for dollar; premiums are better than discounts.

13. Adding elements to a mailing package, even though they add cost, are more likely to pay out than ‘cheapening’ the package.

15. A yes-no options increases orders.

20. Brochures and letters should stand alone and each should contain all the information. (This can be applied to pages on your website. Especially considering you never know where a prospect is going to go when surfing.)

22. Subscriptions sold at half-price for at least 8-months will convert at renewal time just as strongly as subscriptions sold for a full year at full price.

28. A follow-up mailing dropped two weeks after the first mailing will pull 50% of the original response.